Investor information

Board of Directors

Graham Smith

CHAIR OF THE BOARD

Independent Director since February 2015 and Chair since January 2017

Graham has more than 25 years of finance experience in the software and SaaS industry. He was Chief Financial Officer at Salesforce from 2008 to 2014. He has held executive positions at Advent Software, Vitria Technology, Nuance Communications, and Oracle. Graham serves on the Board of directors at Splunk, MINDBODY and BlackLine, and recently served on the Citrix Board. Graham also gets involved in his local community, as evidenced by his Board membership on the Sonoma Valley Education Foundation.

Graham holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics and Politics from Bristol University in England. He previously qualified as a Chartered Accountant (A.C.A) in England and Wales from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.

Nominations Committee (Chair)
Audit and Risk Management Committee

Rod Drury

XERO FOUNDER / NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Director since July 2006

For more than a decade, Rod led Xero from humble beginnings with four employees working in a Wellington apartment to a global software business and S&P/ASX 100 company. Rod remains Xero’s largest shareholder. Rod started his career at Ernst & Young and went on to establish and lead a number of innovative technology businesses. Rod was an independent director on the NZX Board and the Trade Me Board, through its acquisition by Fairfax. At the Deloitte Top 200 Awards 2017, Rod was named Visionary Leader of the Year. He was named Ernst & Young New Zealand 100 Entrepreneur of the Year 2013, and is a member of the New Zealand Hi-Tech Hall of Fame.

Rod holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Administration from Victoria University of Wellington.

Lee Hatton

NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Independent Director since April 2014

Lee is an executive with extensive experience across New Zealand, Australia, the UK and the US. After moving to Australia in 2012 to lead NAB’s Group Regulatory function, in 2015 Lee became the Chief Executive Officer of UBank where she is accountable for the business’s strategy and performance. Lee believes creating a growth culture, centred on customers, is the true disruptor of companies, and she has led large distribution teams throughout her career leveraging this philosophy. Recognised for her collaboration abilities and experience blending technology innovation and financial services, Lee is also an executive director of NAB Ventures and a non-executive director of BLD Group PTY Ltd. Lee is involved in the community and enjoys mentoring individuals, especially in relation to the future of work.

Audit and Risk Management Committee (Chair)

Dale Murray CBE

NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Independent Director since April 2018

Dale is a technology entrepreneur and growth-company advisor. Dale co-founded mobile pioneer Omega Logic in 1999, which co-launched prepay top-ups in the UK. She led the growth of top-up transactions to £450m within five years, generating net revenue of £25 million. After selling the company in a trade sale, she turned to investing and advising start-ups and won the British Angel Investor of the Year award in 2011. Dale is currently the Europe Beachheads advisor for NZTE, a non-executive director at Sussex Place Ventures, and a Board Advisor to Seedrs. She was formerly a non-executive director and Trustee for the Peter Jones Foundation and a non-executive director at the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills. She served on the Business Taskforce on EU Redtape for the Prime Minister in 2013.

Dale holds a Masters of Business Administration issued by the London Business School, University of London. Dale received a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) from Her Majesty the Queen for services to business. Dale is also a Fellow of the College of Chartered Accountants, issued by the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants (now Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand).

Audit and Risk Management Committee

Susan Peterson

NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Independent Director since February 2017

Susan is an experienced independent director on both ASX and NZX listed companies. She is currently an independent director of Trustpower, Vista Group, and Property for Industry. Susan is also a director of ASB Bank. Susan is a member of the New Zealand Markets Disciplinary Tribunal, was a past Ministerial Appointee to The National Advisory Council for the Employment of Women, and has also been a long-serving member of the Board of IHC. Susan is founding co-chair and a shareholder in fast growing health and wellness start-up company Organic Initiative Limited.

People and Remuneration Committee

Bill Veghte

NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Independent Director since February 2014

Bill has spent 25 years in the IT industry building teams, businesses and technology. He spent 20 years at Microsoft where he served in a variety of engineering and leadership capacities, including running the Windows business and managing Microsoft’s North American business. He was the Chief Operating Officer of HP and served as Executive Vice President and General Manager of HP’s US$27 billion Enterprise Group. He was the CEO and director at SurveyMonkey. Bill is currently the Executive Chairman of Turbonomic, a market leader of IT workload automation.

People and Remuneration Committee (Chair)
Nominations Committee

Craig Winkler

NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Director since May 2009

Craig co-founded Australian small business accounting software provider MYOB in 1991. Craig built MYOB to be a popular business tool and brand which, in 2004, merged with Solution 6 to become Australia’s largest IT company. Craig became a substantial shareholder of Xero in 2009, when he also joined the Board. Craig now spends the bulk of his time working in the philanthropic sector.

People and Remuneration Committee
Nominations Committee

Executive team

Steve Vamos

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Steve Vamos, Chief Executive Officer of Xero leads the global growth and performance of the business. With more than 30 years’ experience in global technology and digital media, Steve has worked in leading international businesses, including Apple, IBM and Microsoft. Steve also led the growth of ninemsn, an online media business, from start-up to industry leader as company’s Chief Executive Officer. Steve holds a degree in Civil Engineering (with Honors) from the University of New South Wales, Australia.

Anna Curzon

CHIEF PRODUCT AND PARTNER OFFICER

Leading the Partner and Product teams globally, Anna spearheads product management, development, design, and marketing to bring more exciting Xero features to partners and small business customers. Before starting with Xero as Managing Director for New Zealand, Anna led Internet Banking at ASB and Digital First at Spark, and brings a deep experience of online financial services and operations to Xero.

Kirsty Godfrey-Billy

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Kirsty is a Chartered Accountant with over 20 years experience in the finance and technology sectors. Kirsty leads the global finance and facilities operations teams, helping to grow and scale the business. Prior to Xero, Kirsty was a partner at PwC New Zealand focusing on helping small businesses achieve their goals and also led PwC’s regional cloud strategy. Passionate about providing excellent financial services, Kirsty’s strategic, technology and finance experience is the perfect fit for Xero’s next stage of growth. Kirsty holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Management from Lincoln University.

Keri Gohman

CHIEF PLATFORM BUSINESS OFFICER AND PRESIDENT OF AMERICAS

Keri, a seasoned executive from the U.S. has a lauded career in the financial services sector across banking, software and insurance, and an extensive track record on tailored solutions for the small business sector. As well as being the leader for the Americas, Keri also heads our global teams to drive the expansion and development of Xero as a small business platform. Keri was previously Executive Vice President and General Manager of Capital One’s Small Business banking division and held senior roles at General Electric Financial Assurance and holds an M.B.A. from Lynchburg College.

Sankar Narayan

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

Sankar Narayan is the Chief Operating Officer and is responsible for driving operational outcomes and revenue globally. He has previously held several senior management roles including the CFO roles at Virgin Australia, Fairfax Media and Foxtel. Sankar has an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and is an FCPA (Australia). He also holds a masters degree in electrical engineering from the State University of New York.

Rachael Powell

CHIEF CUSTOMER, PEOPLE AND MARKETING OFFICER

Rachael Powell is the Chief Customer, People and Marketing Officer and is responsible for Xero’s Customer Success and People Experience and Brand Experience functions globally. She has previously held positions in strategy, marketing, talent management and channel development across online and technology businesses. In her current capacity, she brings together her dual passions; delighting our customers and nurturing our people. Rachael believes that customer experience must resonate from the inside-out and advocates for positive engagement programs to effectively mobilise the business strategy at scale. She has a Masters in Applied Positive Psychology, a Masters in Business Administration, and a Bachelor of Business (Accounting and Marketing).

Mark Rees

CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER

Mark leads the platform, security, data and automation teams at Xero and is responsible for enabling Xero’s technology platform for growth and innovation. Before joining Xero, Mark was the chief technology officer for Microsoft New Zealand and the chief product and technology officer for Trade Me. Mark has a PhD and bachelor of science in chemistry from the University of Canterbury.

Chaman Sidhu

GENERAL COUNSEL & COMPANY SECRETARY

Chaman has over 20 years experience leading legal operations, legal strategy, compliance, governance, and risk management. She is dual-qualified in Australia and the U.S. and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Chaman has previously been group General Counsel and Company Secretary for Envato, a global tech marketplace platform, and Lonely Planet Publications, a global travel content publisher.

Regional leads

Keri Gohman

CHIEF PLATFORM BUSINESS OFFICER AND PRESIDENT OF AMERICAS

Keri, a seasoned executive from the U.S. has a lauded career in the financial services sector across banking, software and insurance, and an extensive track record on tailored solutions for the small business sector. As well as being the leader for the Americas, Keri also heads our global teams to drive the expansion and development of Xero as a small business platform. Keri was previously Executive Vice President and General Manager of Capital One’s Small Business banking division and held senior roles at General Electric Financial Assurance and holds an M.B.A. from Lynchburg College.

Craig Hudson

MANAGING DIRECTOR, NEW ZEALAND & PACIFIC ISLANDS

Craig is a key member of the global sales leadership team, responsible for driving relationships with government, financial institutions, enterprise, and promoting the small business economy. Craig has been with Xero for several years, returning to New Zealand from the United Kingdom, where he led Xero's entrance into Europe, the Middle East and South Africa markets. Craig is a father of four and a successful former rugby player who spent more than eight years playing professionally in New Zealand, France, England, and Wales.

Trent Innes

MANAGING DIRECTOR, AUSTRALIA & ASIA

Trent Innes has more than 17 years of experience growing and managing major businesses in the accounting and IT industries. Initially joining Xero as National Sales Director, Trent was appointed as Managing Director in 2016 to manage the company’s next phase of growth. Prior to Xero, Trent managed the Microsoft Business Group in Australia and began his career as a Certified Practicing Accountant (CPA).

Gary Turner

MANAGING DIRECTOR, UNITED KINGDOM & EMEA

Gary is a 20-year veteran of the UK’s accounting software industry who joined Xero from Microsoft where he was Product Group Director for Microsoft Dynamics. He has sat on the IT Faculty Technical Committee of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales since 2005.